Lying at the bottom of the stairs in what could only be described as a broken, bloody heap, Liam Murphy moaned and whimpered.
Joe, along with the others, had followed Tanner. Joe held the phone out so Moss Murphy could hear Liam’s plaintive cries of pain.
Finn Kelly took a photo of Liam.
“I’ll send this to Moss,” he said.
Tanner stared at Gina Rossetti with the full force of his intense gaze. She had set him up to be killed when he was attacked while driving the van.
“I should toss you down there too.”
Gina shook her head in a frantic motion as she imagined tumbling down those stairs. She moved closer to Joe, as if for protection. Joe shoved her toward Bosco.
“Put her back in her chair.”
Gina went with Bosco without complaint. Anything to get away from those stairs, and Tanner.
Moss Murphy’s voice echoed in the hallway as he spoke in a mournful tone.
“Oh, my boy, Tanner, what the fuck did you do to my boy?”
“I tossed him down a flight of stairs and I can drag him back up here and do it again. Now, tell us more about that army you’re going to send here.”
“Is he, oh God. Liam! Can you hear me, boy?”
A weak voice answered, echoing in the hallway, and there was no doubt its owner was racked with pain.
“Pay him… pay him anything… any, oh, oh God it hurts.”
“Call an ambulance, Pullo!”
“Ambulances cost money,” Tanner said.
“I’ll pay, you fucker. I’ll pay Pullo his damn twenty-five million, but so help me God, Pullo, and you too, Tanner, there will be a reckoning someday.”
“Kelly will call you back with the transfer details,” Joe said.
“Whatever, just get my boy to a doctor.”
Rico Nazario was down in the club, Joe took out his phone and called him. Rico was to have Red help him ferry Liam to the clinic.
Having overheard the short conversation, Moss Murphy protested that idea.
“Clinic? I want Liam taken to the best hospital in New York.”
“Goodbye Moss,” Joe said. After ending the call, Pullo broke the phone in half and tossed the pieces atop Liam.
“Now it’s time to deal with Gina.”
“I can wait out in the reception area if you’d like?” Kelly said to Joe.
“No, come back in the office. You might as well view our dirty laundry too.”
Gina had regained her composure, or at least its appearance, because she greeted Joe with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Joe said.
“For helping me to see how Liam was just using me.”
“Was it the same way you used Red?”
“Red?”
“Andre, that’s his nickname.”
“Oh, and yeah, I used him, but I did it for Liam.”
Joe leaned back in his seat and stared at Gina. While Pullo’s gaze was in no way as intense as Tanner’s, it was still unnerving.
Joe pointed at Tanner.
“You tried to have Tanner killed and set the lot of us up to be murdered. If you weren’t Johnny Rossetti’s kid sister you’d be dead already.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
“I’m going to give you a choice. Leave here and go out on your own, or head to Vegas where you’ll be given a job in your Uncle Al’s old casino.”
Gina made a face of disgust.
“I never liked fat, old Uncle Al, but I do like Vegas. What sort of job is it?”
“They’ll decide that when you get there, but understand something, if I ever see you in New York City again that will be the day you die.”
Gina opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it.
“I’ll go to Vegas. How long will it take until my car is fixed?”
Bosco chuckled at Gina’s nerve, then said, “Unbelievable.”
“The car stays here. You’ll be taking the bus.”
“A bus? All the way to Vegas?”
“I can think of a shorter trip,” Tanner said. “That one involves a distance of only six feet, straight down.”
Gina clutched her throat as she leaned away from Tanner.
“How soon can I go?”
“Today, Bosco here will drive you to the bus station.”
“I have to pack first, and I’ll need money to start over.”
“Don’t push me, Gina. I loved Johnny like a brother, but don’t push me.”
Gina shut up, and Bosco told her to come with him. With both chairs empty in front of the desk, Tanner sat to Joe’s left, while Finn Kelly settled in Gina’s vacated seat.
“What are your plans, Kelly?” Joe said.
“Well now, I’ve burned all the bridges that lead back to Boston. Maybe I’ll go freelance.”
“There’s a place for you here if you want it.”
“You’re serious?”
“I already have a right-hand man. That’s Bosco, who is an Underboss and a Consigliere rolled into one. He’s been handling the load well and making no complaints about it. But you could take some of the workload off Bosco and he could have a life again. I also need someone to sniff out trouble like Liam Murphy before it gets out of hand. Along with that, I’ll be bringing in some fresh blood, a guy like you can make sure we get the cream of the crop.”
“I accept the offer, Mr. Pullo, pending the financial arrangements of course.”
“Call me Joe, and thanks for what you did today. I know your reasons had nothing to do with helping out the Giacconi Family, but that was the result, and it took guts.”
Tanner stood and stretched his neck.
“I’ll be at the hotel if you need me, Joe.”
“All right, and get some sleep. I think we could all use some. But give me a call tomorrow night and I’ll have that apartment you and Sara need.”
“Make it something up high, Sara likes a view.”
Joe smiled.
“You won’t be disappointed.”
30
Manhattan’s Hit Man
The following day, Sammy escorted Julie to the club right from the airport. Johnny R’s wouldn’t be open for hours and only Red was at the bar, where he sipped on a soda.
Laurel met with Julie inside Joe’s office, and she and Julie seemed to get along well. Julie had come to New York City to work at the Giacconi’s illegal clinic and would be doing the work she loved, nursing.
After her talk with Laurel, Julie took the elevator down to the bar where Sammy was talking to Ivanov. At Sammy’s feet, Missy was eating chicken scraps from the kitchen.
“How did you and Laurel get along?”
“Great, and I start tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” Sammy said, and found himself becoming lost in Julie’s eyes.
Julie raised herself up on her toes and kissed Sammy on the mouth. When they parted, Sammy was smiling.
Up in the office, Joe gazed out through the one-way glass, saw Sammy’s smile, and grinned a smile of his own.
“Laurel, you like this girl, Julie?”
“She’s sweet, and I think she’ll be great at the clinic. She has experience with gunshot wounds, having worked in LA.”
“Yeah,” Joe said. “I think she may be just what we need around here.”
That night, while having dinner at Martha Maglione’s restaurant, Tanner and Sara discussed the recent events in their lives.
“The drug dealer that Professor Seagate wanted to frame for bank robbery was being murdered at about the same time Luis Zade was killing Seagate. The drug dealer had made an enemy while in prison. When that man was released, he tracked the drug dealer down and stabbed him to death. Ian Seagate’s entire plan was for nothing.”
“Kevin Kincaid was lucky you got involved,” Tanner said. “I think you’ll make a great P.I.”
After finishing his lasagna, Tanner sipped wine while gazing out the restaurant’s windows, at the lights of Broadway.
“Joe thinks that the Giacconis will be at war with some group or another for years to come, and he’s right. There’s a lot of competition out there for who will run the illegal trade in this city.”
“I know from my time at the Bureau that the Mafia is in decline everywhere. Only Pullo seems to have stayed in control of his territory, and you’re a big part of that.”
“That’s what Joe said too. It’s why he was so generous with my compensation for dealing with Moss Murphy.”
Sara grinned.
“About that, let’s go get a look at what he gave you. I hope it fits us, otherwise we’ll have to sell it.”
“From everything he told me about it, I think you’ll love it.”
A short time later, Tanner and Sara gazed out at the city from the terrace of a condo on the Westside of Manhattan.
The home’s features included views to the North, South, East, and West. It had over 4000 sq. ft., which included 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 1 powder room, a 5-star chef’s kitchen, and it was all perched atop the 65th floor. The home’s huge windows granted spectacular views of the city’s skyline, Central Park, and the Hudson River.
A feature that pleased Tanner was the separate entrance. It came complete with its own elevator, which connected the home’s owner with a private garage, so that their comings and goings could remain unobserved by the building’s other residents.
Sara had been wandering through the home for nearly an hour and her mouth was still opened in shock.
“Pullo just gave you this?”
“It’s payment for services rendered, plus, I’ll be on retainer for a year.”
“This must be worth ten million.”
“More than that, but don’t worry, Joe recently came into some money.”
“What about the Condo Board? Don’t we have to be interviewed?”
“Yes, but Joe says it will be a formality.”
Sara turned and hugged him.
“Considering who you are, can we really live here?”
“Thomas Myers is clean on paper, and he’s always had a good income.”
“This place is so beautiful. It’s like a palace, and this view. I’ve never seen one better.”
“So, we keep it?”
Sara grinned.
“Yes.”
“All right, and just to be safe, I want to transfer the deed to you soon.”
“Why?”
“Thomas Myers is an alias. If it gets burned, you won’t have to give this place up.”
“Still, Tanner, to just hand me this, this… mansion in the sky, it’s too much.”
Tanner kissed her.
“We’ll figure something out, now all you need to do is find an office for your P.I. business.”
Sara laughed.
“I’ll be the only private investigator who lives in a place like this.”
Tanner hugged Sara from behind and kissed the top of her head.
“I guess we’re home.”
Also by Remington Kane
COMING SOON!
TAKEN!/TANNER 2
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
The TANNER Series in order
INEVITABLE I - A Tanner Novel - Book 1
KILL IN PLAIN SIGHT - A Tanner Novel - Book 2
MAKING A KILLING ON WALL STREET - A Tanner Novel - Book 3
THE FIRST ONE TO DIE LOSES - A Tanner Novel - Book 4
THE LIFE & DEATH OF CODY PARKER - A Tanner Novel - Book 5
WAR - A Tanner Novel - A Tanner Novel - Book 6
SUICIDE OR DEATH - A Tanner Novel - Book 7
TWO FOR THE KILL - A Tanner Novel - Book 8
BALLET OF DEATH - A Tanner Novel - Book 9
MORE DANGEROUS THAN MAN - A Tanner Novel - Book 10
TANNER TIMES TWO - A Tanner Novel - Book 11
OCCUPATION: DEATH - A Tanner Novel - Book 12
HELL FOR HIRE - A Tanner Novel - Book 13
A HOME TO DIE FOR - A Tanner Novel - Book 14
FIRE WITH FIRE - A Tanner Novel - Book 15
TO KILL A KILLER - A Tanner Novel - Book 16
WHITE HELL – A Tanner Novel - Book 17
MANHATTAN HIT MAN – A Tanner Novel – Book 18
The TAKEN! Series in order
TAKEN! - LOVE CONQUERS ALL - Book 1
TAKEN! - SECRETS & LIES - Book 2
TAKEN! - STALKER - Book 3
TAKEN! - BREAKOUT! - Book 4
TAKEN! - THE THIRTY-NINE - Book 5
TAKEN! - KIDNAPPING THE DEVIL - Book 6
TAKEN! - HIT SQUAD - Book 7
TAKEN! - MASQUERADE - Book 8
TAKEN! - SERIOUS BUSINESS - Book 9
TAKEN! - THE COUPLE THAT SLAYS TOGETHER - Book 10
TAKEN! - PUT ASUNDER - Book 11
TAKEN! - LIKE BOND, ONLY BETTER - Book 12
TAKEN! - MEDIEVAL - Book 13
TAKEN! - RISEN! - Book 14
TAKEN! - VACATION - Book 15
TAKEN! - MICHAEL - Book 16
TAKEN! - BEDEVILED - Book 17
TAKEN! - INTENTIONAL ACTS OF VIOLENCE - Book 18
TAKEN!/TANNER Novels
THE CONTRACT: KILL JESSICA WHITE - Taken!/Tanner - Book 1
UNFINISHED BUSINESS - Taken!/Tanner - Book 2 (Coming Soon)
The BLUE STEELE Series in order
BLUE STEELE - BOUNTY HUNTER- Book 1
BLUE STEELE - BROKEN- Book 2
BLUE STEELE - VENGEANCE- Book 3
BLUE STEELE - THAT WHICH DOESN'T KILL ME- Book 4
BLUE STEELE - ON THE HUNT- Book 5
BLUE STEELE - PAST SINS - Book 6
The CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY Series in order
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - GENERATIONS- Book 1
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - TEMPTATION- Book 2
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - A RANSOM PAID IN BLOOD- Book 3
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - MISSING- Book 4
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - DECEPTION- Book 5
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - CRUCIBLE- Book 6
ALSO
THE EFFECT: Reality is changing!
SLAY BELLS
REDEMPTION: Someone's taken her
DESOLATION LAKE
MONSTERS - A Detective Pierce Novel - Book 1
DEMONS - A Detective Pierce Novel - Book 2
ANGELS - A Detective Pierce Novel - Book 3
About the Author
Join my Mailing List and Learn about New Releases. Also, get access to FREE Books and Short Stories, including:
The TAKEN! ALPHABET SERIES
QUICK – A TANNER Short Story
A LITTLE OFF THE TOP – A TANNER Short Story
BLUE STEELE – First Capture
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY – Early Days
http://www.remingtonkane.com/contact.html
MANHATTAN HIT MAN
Copyright © REMINGTON KANE, 2017
YEAR ZERO PUBLISHING
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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